Tribute To Michael Jackson At The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards

Madonna, looking relaxed, calm and very pretty, opened the show with a quiet and actually quite moving speech in tribute to Michael Jackson [link]. After noting they were born the same year, she mentioned she lost her mother when she was a young girl. But she says Michael he got the short end of the stick: She lost a mother, he lost a childhood. She also talked about how “we” abandoned him, how while he was trying to raise a family, “we all sat in judgment of him.” “There will never be anyone else like him again. He was a king.” She says she’s going to end on a positive note. “Michael Jackson was a human being but he was the King. Long live the King.”

They go to Thriller with Michael Jackson on the big screen and dancers, including one playing him, on the stage, in sync. Then Bad and another song, and out comes a stunning looking Janet Jackson, in top form. Michael’s on the screen dancing behind her and she’s dancing totally in sync matching move for move on the stage. It ends with a picture of them with their arms around each other on the screen. Janet looks emotionally drained at the end.

The controversy of the evening was hip-hop performer Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech (she won Best Female Video for her ballad “You Belong With Me”). Kanye thought Beyoncé should have won.

Later, when Beyoncé did win the biggest prize of the night (the Video of the Year award, for “Single Ladies”) she brought Swift back up to finish her speech. Kanye blogged his Joe Wilson-esque apology: